The War Begins
by BlitzVonKrieg
Summary: This is the first half of my twopart sequel to 'Fighting Back'. Old characters return, new characters are introduced, & pasts are revealed. We're just getting started. Here we go... because I don't know what to rate it, it'll be 'M' to be safe.
1. Prologue: Past & Present

Fighting Back: The War Begins

Prologue: Past & Present

&&&&&&&&&

"Damn right you're not gonna plan my funeral. I'm not dead yet." Blitz groaned.

&&&&&&&&&

"Katie, Greg, Francesca! You're all alright! Where's Ferriman, did I kill him? Is he dead? Don't tell me I lost!" Blitz spoke before anyone could answer.

"Yes we're alright. All thanks to you." Francesca answered.

"And Ferriman?" Blitz asked, sitting up, now realizing he was on a medical bed.

"Up in smoke." Greg smirked with a wink.

"Good." Blitz let out a sigh.

"You jerk! You had all of us worried sick!" Katie berated him.

"Sorry… I was just a little…tired…I guess…?" Blitz shrugged.

"Don't you ever worry us like that again." Katie ordered, hugging Blitz around the waist. Blitz looked at her, & couldn't help it.

"I won't, I swear." He said, & patted her on her head, then rubbed her upper back as she began to tear up. "Don't cry Katie. I'm here; alive & well." Blitz smiled.

"But what if you weren't? What if you had died?" Katie retorted, hugging tighter.

"Then… I would have died doing what my duty called for, & my honor commanded. Even if I had died though, I would have taken Ferriman with me. There's no way I would have left him here to hurt any of you. Now then, buck up. I didn't die, & Ferriman's gone. We're all safe now." Blitz said, taking Katie's chin in his hand, & tilting her head to look at him. "Cheer up. Can you do that, for me?" He smiled.

"Yes." She said with a nod, & quickly hugged him again before letting go.

&&&&&&&&&

"Francesca?" Blitz questioned.

"Yes?"

"Might I have a word with you, in private?" Blitz asked.

"I suppose." Francesca agreed, following Blitz into another room, Blitz closing the door behind her after she entered.

"I know you were helping Ferriman." Blitz said calmly, his criticizing gaze upon her as she tried to avert her eyes & look elsewhere.

"I…I…" She couldn't gather her thoughts. Yes she'd tried to help him, & she felt horrible for it now, realizing what she had helped with. "I did." Was all she could say.

"It's alright. Experienced Soul Collectors such as Ferriman are easily able to bring out the worst in a person, usually in the form of greed. What happened to you was no different, but, I believe I need to give you something." Blitz said.

"Give me what?" Francesca asked, looking half frightened.

"Just take off the glove of your right hand & shake mine." Blitz said, & while she still looked uneasy, she slid off her glove & they grabbed hands. As soon as her hand touched his it felt for a moment as though she was touching a glacier, then the cold subsided & he released her hand. Francesca looked down at her palm & saw a lightning bolt shape on her hand. As she looked at it, it began to fade into her hand.

"What was that?" Francesca asked, looking from her palm, to Blitz, & back.

"That was my Mark." Blitz said, & her eyes widened in fear at the statement.

"Does this mean that I'm going to…to…" She could form the words, so she just pointed down with her other hand as she stared at him.

"No, no. Remember, I'm a _Ferrier_…"

"But you said…"

"Only some of us damn people. My Mark is a moral guide to help people. It lets you know with a prick of pain if something you're doing is bad, or with a very light tickling sensation if it's good. It can't decide your fate, but it can help you make better decisions. Hopefully you won't get in this type of situation again. I also would like a favor from you. I know we don't know each other well… Hell, nobody out there knows anyone else all that well, but I would ask that once this ship reaches New York, you take care of Katie & Greg. I can't tell you what I know, but they'll need you." Blitz said.

"Take care of them how?"

"You'll find out when the time comes Francesca, but, please, will you?"

"I can try." Francesca finally accepted, though it didn't show on his features, she could hear the pleading in his voice. Then she felt a tickling sensation in her hand as she slipped her glove back on.

&&&&&&&&&&

"What's that?" Greg asked.

"That's my ship & crew." Was Blitz's reply.

"Does this mean you're leaving?" Katie asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. But I'm leaving you all in good hands. Greg, come here." Blitz said, & Greg came up to him.

"Yes?"

"Do you know how this ship works?"

"Yes."

"Could you pilot her?"

"Yes."

"Make repairs?"

"Could try."

"Good enough. Let all here be witness, that on this day, May…uh…" Blitz began, & Francesca held up two fingers, then changed them to three. "Ah, right, May Twenty-third, Nineteen Sixty-two, that I, Captain Blitz Von Krieg, award you, Gregory…uh…" Blitz began again, then whispered. "What's your surname?"

"Thompson." Greg whispered back, Katie laughing to herself at the obviously impromptu speech.

"Okay." Blitz whispered & began again. "You, Gregory Thompson, a commission as Captain of the Antonia Graza. Congratulations." Blitz said as he put the captain insignia on Greg's collar, & shook his hand.

"I approve." Came a voice. Everyone looked at who it was, & it was the Captain's ghost, nodding his head.

"Thank you sir!" Greg shouted as the Captain headed for the gangplank that had been run across between the ships. The Captain gave a single wave as he crossed the gangplank. "So does that mean I'm really the Graza's Captain now?"

"Looks that way." Katie said as she came to stand next to him. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." Greg smiled down at her.

"Now one last thing before I go." Blitz said, looking about his person.

"What is it?" Francesca asked.

"Uh… Heh… Anybody seen m' sword?" Blitz asked.

"I've got it. Along with you guns & everything thing else we found as we went through the ship. Now let's get a move-on! All passengers are aboard! Let's try for a new record time!" Donner shouted from the forecastle.

"Alright, I'm coming!" Blitz shouted back, & Donner stepped from the forecastle, shouting orders to the crew to prepare the ship to set-sail. "Safe journey." He said, & as he turned around, he noticed something: his ship was pulling away!

"You may want to hurry." Katie chuckled as Blitz bolted for the railing.

"What do you think I'm doing?!" He shouted over his shoulder.

"Not running fast enough!" Greg called out.

"Smart ass!" Blitz replied, running along the railing, toward the bow. "Donner! Stop the ship! I'm not on yet!"

"Just jump!" Donner shouted with a laugh.

"Oh to hell with it!" Blitz shouted to himself as he leapt onto the railing, & then coiled his legs & sprang forward, just barely grabbing onto the railing. "Pull me up!"

"Ha-ha! I knew you could do it." Donner said as he hauled Blitz onto the deck.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Energy surged through the ship & it took on a light gold color; the underside becoming surrounded by a light green mist as the ship rose from the water. Blitz turned the wheel to starboard & it turned around. Headed toward the starboard side of the Graza, the ship's name now just above the Graza's deck as it passed by, the sails coming completely unfurled, & the ship's armaments began showing themselves. Everyone on the Graza's deck turned to watch the ship pass. Katie, Greg, & Francesca reading the name.

"The H.M.S. Immortal." The three said to themselves, though everyone heard them say it as the ship flew by. Just before it left completely, it leaned to its starboard side just long enough for everyone to spot Blitz give a jaunty salute & for them to wave, or in Greg's case salute, back before it righted itself & headed higher into the sky before disappearing from view completely, a sonic-boom echoing after it was gone.

"Think we'll ever see him again?" Katie asked as the all watched the spot the Immortal had last been.

"Yeah, I do." Greg said.

"So, shall we head for New York, _Captain_?" Francesca asked.

"Indeed madam, I believe we shall." Greg smiled.

&&&&&&&&&&&

'It's been ten years since that day; ten years this very day in fact. Oh…I miss him. I wish he had time to visit…But I know he's busy. I hope he hasn't had any run-ins with Ferriman since the Graza.' Katie thought to herself as she walked about the house, holding a photograph of herself, the Captain, Greg, Francesca, & Blitz that had been taken the day before the incident on the Graza.

Incidentally, a sixth of the photo next to Blitz had been ripped off. Jack had been in it too. The Captain had suggest to her that a picture be taken of her with whatever friends she had made on the ship, & the celebrities aboard. Francesca of course because she was a famous singer, & Jack because he was the only survivor of the Lorelei, making him the ship's other celebrity. She'd ripped his piece of the picture off the next time she saw the photo, & burned it. The rest of the photo she'd put into a frame.

Katie set the photo back on the mantel above the fireplace & began walking about the house, lost in her _good_ memories from the Graza. The house wasn't too big; it was two stories, had a kitchen, basement, attic, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two guestrooms, a living room, & a dining room. A photo of Katie's parents, posters from Francesca's singing career, a painting of the Graza, & a few other things adorned the walls, including a wall-length mirror.

Katie stopped when she came to stand in front of the mirror & looked at herself. She wore a cyan colored tank top, bell-bottom blue-jeans, & sneakers. She stood about five-foot-six & her hair was down to her mid-back. She still held some of her girlish charm & all of her grace, but most importantly, to every guy that saw her anyway, she was twenty-two now, and _looked_ it, if you get my drift. The boys swooned over her so much, sometimes it made her laugh. She took another look in the mirror & walked to the living room to sit on the couch, but was stopped when the phone rang.

"Hello, Giovanna residence, may I ask who's calling?" Katie answered the phone.

"You may ask, but to find out you'll have to come down to the Ocracoke Diner. Bring Thompson & Ms. Giovanna with you, as well as any & _all_ documents you have regarding the Antonia Graza. I mean all of them Ms. Harwood. Goodbye." Was what she heard in reply before the phone clicked, whoever had been talking had hung up. Their voice had sounded menacing. Familiar somehow though too…

"Oh no. I'd better get Greg & Francesca." Katie said as she hurried off, but grabbed a Colt .45 & holster from a desk drawer first. She believed she knew who it was, & if she was right, she wanted to be able to try to defend herself should he try anything.

Here we go…


	2. Reacquainting

The War Begins

Chapter One: Reacquainting

&&&&&&&&&

It was ten minutes or so later when Francesca parked the '58 Jaguar in front of the diner, & she, Katie, & Greg got out of the car. Francesca didn't seem to have aged much, if at all, even though she was now thirty-five. She wore what looked to be business attire, though it still accented her figure.

Greg was twenty-six now & had definitely gotten older. He stood at about five-foot-ten. His muscles had developed from just being there, to being able to punch-out a boxer, though he didn't look very strong. His muscles were lean, like those of a sprinter. He wore a red t-shirt, black jeans, & running shoes; a switch-blade stashed in his pocket, just in case.

They walked into the diner & were immediately greeted by a familiar face.

"Francesca, Greg, Katie! Long time; no see! Why don't you come & visit anymore?" The voice belonged to an old friend that they'd met a while back: Dwight Epps. He owned the Ocracoke Diner & had made friends with them immediately upon meeting them.

"I'm sorry Dwight. We've all been fairly busy for the last few weeks." Francesca answered.

"I can see. How's business?" Dwight asked, seeing the briefcase Francesca held.

"Oh, just fine actually." She smiled.

"So might I assume that the person you're here to meet has business to talk with you about?"

"How'd you know we were meeting someone?" Katie asked.

"He told me you'd be meeting him here. It's the guy with the newspaper at table thirteen." Dwight pointed toward the table. Indeed, there sat someone, paper open, covering the top half of their body, the lower half hidden by the table.

"Oh." Greg said simply as he looked.

"Well, I won't keep you any longer. But would you care to come over to the house sometime? Martha misses you something awful."

"Sure Dwight. Tell Martha we'd love to." Francesca said as she, Greg, & Katie walked toward the table. Katie rested her palm on the pistol, & Greg gripped his knife.

"Well, well, well… How've you three been?" The man behind the paper asked.

"Look, we brought the papers. So what do you want Ferri-…?" Katie began.

"Guess again." The man interrupted.

"Eh?" Katie was confused. It had to be him.

"One clue: Flash."

"What's that mean?" Francesca asked.

"Ms. Harwood should know."

"What're you playing at here pal?" Greg asked, taking his hand away from his knife.

"How's your neck?"

"Wait a minute…Flash…I know that's important somehow…" Katie mumbled.

"Come on Katie… What's the right response?" The man urged, paper still up.

"Wait…!" Katie said as her eyes went wide, & a smile dared to begin forming. "Thunder!" Katie said as she grabbed the top edge of the newspaper & shoved it down, to be met with black hair, & golden eyes.

"That's right." Blitz said, & Katie nearly tackled him, squeezing him in a bear hug.

"Oh Blitz, I missed you so much! Where've you been! How've you been? Are you staying? I'm so glad to see you!" Katie said as she squeezed him.

"Too…tight… Too…tight… Need…air…" Blitz wheezed as he began to turn blue.

"Katie! Let him breath! He's suffocating!" Greg said, tugging at her arms.

"Sorry!" Katie said as she let him go, & color began returning to his face.

"I'm glad…to see you…too…kid." Blitz said in-between breaths. "And I…must say…you've got a…a hell-of-a grip." Blitz laughed as he stood, almost falling over from his lack of oxygen to the brain, but he straightened himself quickly & opened his arms. "Try not to kill me this time." He smiled as Katie hugged him again, this time without the bone-crushing force, & he hugged her back gently, stroking her hair comfortingly as if she were his own daughter. "I missed you too kid, and I won't be leaving for a long time. I promise."


	3. Transferred

The War Begins

Chapter Two: Transferred

(This is gonna be a long chapter)

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"So why are you here Blitz?" Francesca asked as everyone sat down at the large corner-table & Blitz folded up his newspaper, placing it on the table.

"I've been transferred." Blitz said with a small smile.

"What do you mean?" Francesca asked with a curious look.

"As it is currently, I'm not a Ferrier. I'm a Guardian now."

"Guardian?" Greg asked.

"Guardian Angel, as it were. I prefer, as most do, to leave the 'Angel' part off."

"So who's Guardian are you?" Katie asked.

"Actually, I'm the Guardian for all three of you."

"Cool." Greg smiled. Blitz was back, for quite some time. There was something about him though, something Greg couldn't quite place. Then it hit him. "Why are you older?"

"Well I can't be the youngest when I'm supposed to be protecting you, now can I?" Blitz gave one of his quick smirks. He did look older, about thirty-seven. He was surprised that nobody had noticed…

"Why the costume?" Katie asked when she saw what Blitz was wearing. He wore a long tattered brown trench-coat, black cotton pants, a grey cotton shirt, old sixteen-hundreds-style naval boots, & next to him on the seat was a three corner hat & old gloves.

"What do you mean costume? I was a pirate, remember?" Blitz said, & only then realized something…

"You never said you were a pirate." Francesca stated, & indeed he'd only then remembered he hadn't told them that aboard the Graza.

"Oh…I forgot about not having told you…" Blitz said more to himself than to them.

"So you were a pirate? When?" Greg asked, he seemed to think it was a grand thing.

"From sixteen-ten until sixteen-seventy-four." Blitz answered. He saw where this was going…

"Why haven't I ever heard of you? Sixty-four years is a record length as far as I know." Katie said, looking slightly confused. 'How could he not be the most notorious pirate that ever lived, especially if he'd been one for so long?"

"As a joint effort, every country that had ever had a dealing with be, destroyed the records of my existence. Everything I'd ever done, every ship I'd ever taken, every port I'd ever sacked, & all my travels were attributed to lesser pirates, storms, or just completely erased if it was something that could be covered up." It could be told that Blitz didn't like the thought much. "They wanted to make sure that nobody would think the things I had done were possible, because they didn't want anyone else to try." He said with a scowl, but lightened quickly. "I do suppose it has worked in my favor though."

"What do you mean?" Greg asked.

"Just makes life easier is all. If everyone knew who I was, I'd have to change my name, & then get used to everyone calling me by a name that I know isn't mine." Blitz said, he was actually thankful for not having to do that.

"So what was your life like?" Katie asked.

"You really want to know? If so I'll tell you."

"Yes, do tell." Katie said. This would be fairly interesting, & she had wondered who he was for some time. Ever since the Graza.

"Well…You see, I wasn't the hero-type while I was alive. Far from it actually… When I was a kid, we lived where Munich, Germany is today. When I turned twenty, my entire family moved to London, England. I stayed with them to help them pay for things. Unfortunately, my family became indebted to our landlord. I joined the Royal Navy to help pay off the debt. However, it wasn't enough. My family was killed. I was spared because I was in service of the Crown. The ship I had signed on to, the H.M.S. Immortal, departed a few days later, bound for the Caribbean with a military payroll shipment."

"Isn't the Immortal the ship you captain now?" Greg asked.

"Inquisitive, aren't we?" Blitz smiled. "Let me get there."

"Alright."

"Okay then… Midway through the journey, most of the men had had-it with Captain Kitts & his ten officers. They pushed us to breaking, constantly demanding nothing less than perfection, & expecting _more_. Late one night, I gathered as many crewmen that I thought I could trust, below deck. I had decided to lead a mutiny."

"A **mutiny**? Was Kitts really that bad?" Katie asked.

"He was **worse**." Blitz emphasized the last.

"Oh…"

"The men & I discussed the idea, & it was voted on. The outcome was unanimous. Mutiny it would be. We decided we would wait three days. In the meantime, the word was spread to those others that some of the men believed they could trust, & our number of mutineers grew to sixty. The day came. As soon as the sixty of us stood against Kitts, the entire crew rallied with us. Only Kitts' ten officers remained loyal to him. We put Kitts & five of his officers in a dinghy & rid ourselves of them. Kitts in his _own_ right, had never really pushed us around, too much, & the five officers that we let go weren't that bad either, but the five we kept deserved to hang. So, though I had no express interest in the event, I allowed the crew to hang them from the mainmast."

"You _what_?" Francesca asked.

"I let the crew hang them." Blitz smirked, & the three just stared at him.

"What had they done?"

"They had tormented us regularly. They would abuse the crew, threaten to have us shot, anything they damn well pleased really."

"Kitts never tried to stop them?"

"He didn't care. Not to mention the fact, that the five we strung up were his senior officers. He hadn't even tried to talk to them."

"I can see why you did what you did then…"

"After the 'excitement' was over, the men voted me Captain. Once I accepted said position, which I did in a heartbeat, I decided that heading to the Caribbean would be foolish. The English would have ships looking for us. So, I decided that would we would head in the other direction, to the Orient. We followed the African coast south, rounded the Cape, & began sailing through the Indian Ocean in open water. We continued; at the moment we weren't officially pirates, for word hadn't reached land that we had mutinied. Along the way we spent the gold that we had been sent with us as the payroll, on food & other supplies. I had one destination in-mind: Kyoto, Japan. Today it's known as Tokyo. Upon nearing the coast, we decided not to go into the harbor, opting rather to anchor just off the coast. Events led to me meeting the Shogun of Kyoto. He proposed a job for me, & I took it."

"What was the job?" Greg asked.

"Assassinating a Samurai leader. However, I soon found out from the Samurai that the Shogun planned on double-crossing me. He'd done it to other Europeans. So, with the help of the Samurai & my crew, I triple-crossed him. We killed the Shogun, looted the castle, burned it to the ground; then hit the harbor & waterfront. We looted the ships that were at anchor & the waterfront, torched the waterfront, & loaded everything onto the Immortal & four Japanese 'Red Seal Ships'. Before we left, we had one last statement to make. We tied & chained every ship in the harbor together, side-by-side, anchored them, set every-other few ships ablaze, & fired the ships' cannons into the tied, chained, & flaming ships as we left. From that little operation we gained the four ships, another four hundred crewmen, a full gun complement for every ship, enough weapons to equally arm every crewman, & five hundred thousand gold pieces worth of everything from gold coins to diamonds & silk to pearls. I only looked back one time, to watch as the smoke billowed from the burning waterfront & harbor, & to watch that line of ships pull itself under. We were able to see the smoke for the next two days before it finally cleared."

"You hit them that hard?!" Katie was shocked.

"Yeah, & without even getting shot at; the Shogun's men didn't have firearms, & the harbor's shore batteries were useless because we came around on the land as a raiding party; then had the Immortal sail in after the shore batteries had been dealt with. The major amount of the new crewmen were Samurai & their families. They couldn't very well stay in Japan after all of that, so I asked if they would come with us, & they readily agreed. The other part of the new crewmen were people at the harbor, aboard the ships, & on the waterfront that volunteered their services to us. The only people we killed were the Shogun's men at the castle, & whatever guards he had stationed at the harbor. I ordered my men not to kill the civilians; just to loot the place & then burn it to the ground. If you take that into account, it doesn't sound as bad as before, does it?"

"No. It doesn't sound _quite_ as bad, but it still sounds horrific. What about all of the people's homes you destroyed, & their ships that you sank?"

"We didn't burn homes. The waterfront only had businesses & storage facilities. The ships belonged mostly to the Shogun, & we discovered later that some belonged to the East-India Trading Company. I'm sure the unfortunate few people did lose their boats, but it wasn't as if we did it to spite the people; if anything we liberated them. The reason we destroyed the harbor is simple too: with the harbor gone, military vessels couldn't dock there & thus we'd be long gone before anyone found out what happened."

"That does make sense I suppose…" Greg thought aloud.

"After that we headed for the Caribbean." Blitz said, & began to go into a flashback as he spoke.

"&F&L&A&S&H&B&A&C&K&"

It was two years later that something strange happened as we were headed through the Maldives. We'd taken several prizes & now totaled ten ships -all of which were full of gold, jewels, fabrics, spices, & other numerous articles, as well as being armed to their maximum-, & the total crew had swelled to one thousand.

Consequently, as we passed through the Maldives, three of our ships got stuck on sandbars –three of the four Red Seal ships-, & we had to anchor in open water & go back to the ships to help dislodge them. After three days we managed to dislodge one of the ships, & on my team's way back, us being the last team to head back, we heard a rumbling & then right under us a whirlpool opened. Within a few moments we were sucked under. I don't know what happened in the next few minutes after we were sucked under, because I had blacked out.

I finally came too & found that wherever we were was faintly lit. I woke everyone up, & thankfully everyone was in at least fair condition, no bones broken, though there may have been cuts & bruises here & there. We looked around & I wasn't too surprised to discover that we were between the edge of a small pool of water & the opening of a cave system. I decided that we'd best look for an exit that was at the surface, perhaps this was part of an atoll. We began to explore through the cave system. & in less than a few minutes everything changed. We came to an area in the system that appeared to be an ancient temple. Decorations lines the walls, as did stone columns & lanterns hung from the ceiling, which were somehow still lit. I took this as a sign that people must've been down there.

We found our way out of the temple & found ourselves in the middle of what appeared to be the center courtyard of an ancient city. Lanterns were on the sides of every building; all of them lit. We looked everywhere, in every home, every alley; even the palace & other temples around the city. Every lantern in the city was lit, but nobody was to be found. We were looking through the palace a second time when we came to what we thought was the lowest chamber. Then I looked on one of the walls & saw a lever. I went up to the lever & pulled it down. Nothing happened, except another lever came around. I figured this must be a gear & kept pulling it. After three turns the far wall cracked open & a gust of wind blew by us. The men came running up & began to help me turn it, until the wall turned on its vertical axis & was open. I took a torch off of the wall & led the men into the only dark room we had yet come across. The torch barely helped, but I spied a small pool of oil in front of me & lit it. Soon tracks full of oil began to burn all over the room, lighting it brilliantly. It took a moment for me to register the fact that it was **FILLED **_**WITH **__**GOLD!**_

As soon as it registered, I gathered the men & we scrambled back to where we'd started at. We decided we'd swim out, worst swimmer going first, so that all those behind them could help them to the surface. We all made it to the surface & swam to the nearest ship. I immediately sent orders for my senior officers to meet me aboard the Immortal. Upon their arrival I explained to them the find, & we decided that we would begin bringing up the treasure the next day at noon, & that the officers, & I would explore the city to try & find anything else of value that we believed we could take.

The next day began as planned. A fifth of the crew stayed behind to dislodge the grounded ships, & crew the others, two fifths rested waiting to be the next treasure loading shift, while two fifths went down to the city & above it aboard two ships we jimmy rigged with cranes to haul the treasure up in barrels & chests. I hadn't realized until then what all was in the treasury room. It was filled with gold coins, silver coins, gold bars, silver bars, diamonds, pearls, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, a gold crown encrusted with black diamonds, a gold scepter with a 24k black diamond fixed at the top & encrusted with black pearls, gold statues, & tons of other priceless treasures. In twelve hours we'd hardly loaded ten percent of the treasure onto one of the ships & it was filled to its maximum. I sent up orders to bring in another ship & transfer our makeshift cranes to the new ship.

My order was followed while in the mean-time the other ship continued to load treasure onto it. After twenty four hours, twenty percent of the treasure was loaded & the next shift came down to relieve the first, who in turn went up to rest. The loading continued in the same fashion for the next four days, with the shifts changing at twenty four hour intervals (every day at noon) until all ten ships were filled with the treasure, & the treasury was bare. I ordered the last shift up to the surface, while the officers, & I opted to continue searching the city.

We finally stumbled upon another sealed room, but this one was considerably smaller that the treasury. It was also decorated like the city's temples, yet also much more extravagant. We walked in a little ways & then saw a golden tablet set in the far wall (about three feet wide & nine feet tall). We walked up to it & it had inscriptions on it in what looked to be a combination of languages. Deciding that we had found the last thing of value in the city, seeing as how we'd also stripped out all the temples, the palace, & homes around the city taking everything out, we went up & brought down one last group of fifty men to strip out the last room. After they were finished & gone, the officers, & I decided we'd pull the tablet out of the wall & take it to the surface by ourselves.

We used our swords as levers to dislodge the tablet & discovered that it was four inches thick. Jackpot. Then we also realized something else. This was going to be heavy. After a few minutes we'd managed to almost finish prying it out. That's when we heard water & then an officer spoke up.

"Uh-oh." He said as he looked at the small spout of water coming through the wall of rock. "That can't be good." He said, then a crack ran its way up the rock & more water spouts broke through. "Oh no. That cannot be good!"

"Baka, now what'd you do?" a Japanese officer asked,

"Nothing, but I think we should get out of here." he replied.

"Alright, let's move this thing." I said, & we pulled it outside. Then we heard more water & cracking & looked back. Multiple cracks were running up the entire dome over the city & water spouts were sprouting up all along the cracks.

"Baka." The Japanese officer sighed.

"Sorry." The other apologized.

"Alright guys lift it up & get it on the sleds." I said as the wall in the room broke & water started pouring in from the room. The lot of us laid & tied it on the sleds, which were actually life rafts, & began pushing. "Alright guys, let's go."

"Hai, Krieg-Sensei."

"What he said."

"Dammar, Baka."

"Here we go." I said, & we got moving as more cracks & spouts appeared. Then the wall around the room broke open & water came pouring in & started causing more of the wall to come apart. That's when we decided to get on the 'sleds'. The water quickly scooped us up, & carried it with us

"Must go faster!" the European said, "_Must go faster!_"

"This is your fault!" the Japanese returned .

"Hold on!" I said as we began making sharp turns, going down alley ways & under arches, the water drawing ever closer. Dead ahead lay the temple & cave opening we had to pass through, & on our heels was a demonic wall of water. We shot into the temple, the water flooding & tearing it apart behind us, coming in from every direction as we entered the cave passage, the water now being funneled behind us. When we finally reached the entrance, the water behind us shoved us under the water of the entrance. We went down & then up & out, shooting to the surface followed by an air pocket. I took one look back & saw that the entire city was gone. Nothing but undistinguishable ruins covered with natural debris remained. We shot out of the water, landing on the deck of the Immortal, where we were then dowsed by the water thrown by the surfacing of the air pocket that had been behind us. We couldn't help but celebrate.

"All right!" I shouted.

"Wooo-whooo!" the European added, punching a fist upward.

"Well done!" the Japanese confirmed as he & shook hands & all of us laughed.

After our little celebration we picked up the tablet, took it into my cabin, & cleaned off the back of it to reveal hieroglyphs. According to a translator that was with us, the title atop it read: "The Sinning Savior". One scene showed what looked like a sailing ship in the sky above three pyramids. There were more, but the last & largest was what appeared to be a map of the Caribbean with a five pointed star on it as if marking the spot like an X on a treasure map. From what I could gather from the captions, "He would one day be hailed as a hero by some & charged as a traitor by others. He would be called a devil of a great man & a slaughtering angel." I thought of the legend as interesting & then abruptly dismissed it as being of no importance.

"&E&N&D&&&F&L&A&S&H&B&A&C&K&"

"Holy hell!" Greg tried to say, but it came out as a cough.

"What?" Blitz smirked as he rolled his eyes & laughed.

"That would've been enough to set you & your entire crew for life!" Greg said, mouth watering at the amount of money 'just that' would have been worth, not to mention the value of the things he'd taken when he sacked Kyoto.

"Maybe, but that wasn't the end of my pirating days. Far from it. I hadn't even gotten the hang of it yet." Blitz smiled & laughed at Greg's wide eyes, watering mouth, & open jaw. "Might want to close that before the 'gulls make a nest." Blitz smirked as he used one finger & closed Greg's gaping mouth.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

AN: I know, I know, who cares about all this pirate nonsense? Well, I thought it would be a good idea to show who Blitz was, so you can understand him more. The next chapter will be more of his past, as may be the next one after that, but please bear with me. Ok?


	4. Blitz's Pirating Career

The War Begins

Chapter 3: Blitz's Pirating Career

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"So that wasn't the end? You stayed as a pirate, even with all those riches?" Francesca asked. With everything he'd gotten, you'd think he'd have stopped. But no, not Blitz.

"Nope. Now how about this: how about I tell you guys everything, without you guys interrupting me, & then when I'm done you can ask all the questions you want?" Blitz suggested. It would take all day to explain as it was, without all the in-between questions.

"Deal." Katie said, speaking for all of them.

"Alright." Blitz said, & then began again…

&B&L&I&T&Z&

It was sixteen twenty when I finally reached the Caribbean. In the four years since we found that treasure-trove in the Maldives, I had gained another three ships & another five-hundred crewmen. The first place I stopped in the Caribbean was the Spanish port city of Trinidad. At first sight of it, I decided that it was to become my haven.

Unfortunately, I knew that the local government would have something to say about that. I paid the governor a visit & discussed it with him. Well, actually, I got to the point of telling him that I wanted Trinidad to be my haven, & he had his guards throw me out.

Now, when I say he had them throw me out, I don't mean that they escorted me to the door, & I said: "goodbye, I've got to go." What I mean is: six of the biggest, strongest, dumbest, ugliest guys you've ever seen, picked me up & hurled me from the governor's mansion. Then they squared off with me outside.

Now, I don't know how many of them it would've taken to whoop-my-ass… But I knew how many they were gonna _use_. Luckily, Koori, the Japanese officer, & Fuoco, the European officer, Italian precisely, showed up. They saved me, sort'a. Well, the knocked out the two closest guys to me & we ran for it as Trinidad's garrison was alerted.

We made it back to the Immortal & set-sail as the town batteries opened fire. We shot back at them & made our escape as the wind picked up on that warm night. We rejoined the fleet & I called all of my senior officers to the Immortal. After a short debate, short because the conclusion was unanimous, it was decided that we would sack Trinidad for the next month, or however long it took for them to surrender the city.

At the end of the month they surrendered the city. We'd hit it so hard & so regularly that the garrison had been all but destroyed, & the harbor was empty of all types of ships, other than wrecked ones. The governor himself had died in the final firefight near the mansion. We weren't the ones that killed him though. His own men shot him, preferring to save what was left of the city, rather than have us keep coming back.

After that, Trinidad became my haven. Truth was, the people welcomed me after they discovered that I really wasn't all that bad. Well, that, and the fact that my crew rebuilt or repaired everything that had been destroyed or damaged. To top that off, five hundred of my crewmen became the new garrison. They consisted of one hundred of my best cannoneers, two hundred fifty of my best marksmen, one hundred twenty of my best swordsmen, and thirty of my best officers. My garrison of the city was better trained than the last one, not to mention that they were also better armed, & the defenses were much better planned out.

For about two months I ventured as far north as Nevis, hitting any shipping I could, taking whatever they had onboard, & setting the ship on its way. Rarely did we have a real fight, though most of the ships we attacked were British, and at that time I was still flying English Colors, not yet having a flag of my own. Thus it was very easy to get close to them, then reel out the armament & toss grappling lines across.

Two years later, I had a flag of my own, & no longer flew the English Colors, well, unless of course I was planning on getting close to a British ship. Unfortunately, reports had gotten back to England stating that the "missing" "HMS" Immortal had been sighted committing acts of piracy. Captain Kitts was blamed at first, but was able to clear his name with the governor of Port Royale. Kitts also told them it was I that was in command now. He told them the whole story, of the mutiny anyway.

As soon as word reached Britain of my actions, an order was sent all throughout Caribbean, that my ship was to be hunted down, captured, & that I was to be hung at the nearest English port following my capture. Many ships responded to the call-to-arms, but only one ever encountered me.

It happened as the sun was beginning to set on a November day. We were headed back to Trinidad with a fresh haul of loot, when from behind one of the Caribbean's many small islands, an English ship ambushed us. This was nigh just any ship though. She was the HMS Sea Witch, a sixty-gun frigate, & the pride of Port Royale with four hundred of the Royal Navy's best sailors.

On the other side of this little confrontation was my ship, the Immortal, an ocean barque –which isn't even a vessel made for combat, though it is the heaviest of its class- with only twenty-four guns & one hundred crewmen. Not much of an even match-up… Is it?

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

AN: Just thought I'd give ya'll somethin' to read. Sorry for I being short, & the explanation of Blitz's pirating days will probably end in the sixth chapter.


	5. Blitz Explains The Odds

The War Begins

Chapter 4: Blitz Explains The Odds

&B&L&I&T&Z&

Thankfully, we were ahead of the Sea Witch. Unfortunately, she had the wind, and we were just inside her gun range. Not a good position.

The Sea Witch, being of the class and size she was, was as I said, outfitted with sixty guns. Those guns in her broadsides were comprised of ten eighteen-pound guns below deck and ten sixteen-pound guns on deck, per side. That brought it to a count of forty.

The other guns were arranged in such a fashion as to have four twenty-pound guns inside the bow, below deck, with two on either side of the keel beam set as bow chasers, and four more, of the same size of gun, were arranged in a similar fashion in the stern as stern chasers.

The remaining guns were all fourteen pounders, and six were arranged on both the bow, and the stern, angling in such a way as to be able to have three fire from each side, angling away from the bow in order to cover the area between the bow chaser and broadside gun batteries. There were also a total of twenty swivel guns about the ship to defend against boarding actions.

To say the least, she was a formidable, and well balanced, opponent. The crew was also expertly trained, highly paid, and regularly drilled. Both the captain and ship had just been "released" by the British Royal Navy. In all truth, they still took their orders from the respected navy's admirals, but were considered as a "privateer", both vessel and captain, the crew being considered "privateers".

The truth about privateers, mind you, and I know this for fact, is that privateers are simply pirates that are paid by a government and carry a Letter of Marque. Said "letter" being a document that states which company, state, or nation employs the pirate, vessel, and crew.

More often than not, privateers became flat out pirates or pirate hunters.

More often the earlier, but the later were often times more dangerous to encounter.

This encounter was with the later.

Mind you though, that the Immortal was not to be easily dismissed, nor written off as an easy target, even by this opponent.

The Immortal was an Ocean Barque of, as you know, British manufacturing. Now, the truth of the matter is that it was moreso designed after the plans of a North African Galley. It was made to be a, angle-rigged cargo hauler, and a fast one to boot. However, most Galleys were a bit smaller than the Immortal, and the British "didn't build Galleys", or so they said, so the Immortal was signed off as an Ocean Barque.

Her design was both an advantage, and a disadvantage. She could move quickly no matter what way the wind was blowing because her sails were angle-rigged, but her armament was far inferior to that of most military vessels of the time. She had only been commissioned as one originally due to her original mission as a payroll courier.

She had never been a combat ship.

Or, she shouldn't have been one, even though that was her fate as a pirate vessel.

The odds stacked up, fairly like this-

As far as Armament was concerned, the Witch overwhelmed the Immortal. In case of speed, the Immortal was well rounded and could even go against the wind at a steady speed, but if going in the same direction, with the wind, the Witch could overtake the Immortal easily because she was square-rigged, and thus the Witch could expose more canvas to the wind, unlike the Immortal's angle-rigged sails.

In terms of maneuverability, the Immortal far outclassed the Witch. As far as the crews went, they were evenly trained, and fairly evenly armed, but the Witch had four times the amount, giving her the advantage there.

As far as the Witch's captain and I were concerned, the truth was that he had more experience than I did. He was a trained, commissioned officer in the Royal Navy, and I was a pirate that had been active for a while. The truth was, most pirates didn't last more than four years. My time should have been up a while before this engagement.

So as you can see, both had advantages, and both had disadvantages. The way that both the advantages and disadvantages were exploited is what decided the outcome.

((So sorry that it's been so long. I'm getting back into writing this. Hope this isn't a bore, I'm having to get back in the swing of things. R & R, please. ;) ))


End file.
